Draper University of Heroes is welcoming its next 40 students to participate in the next six-week class at the prestigious school for entrepreneurs in downtown San Mateo starting this week.

Among the students are three scholarship winners that include: Alejandro Rivera — winner of the Tina Seelig Scholarship; Maya Odei — winner of the Heidi Roizen Scholarship; and Spencer Handley — winner of the Andy Tang Scholarship.

Rivera, a young entrepreneur from Guatemala, impressed the selection committee with his passion for collaborative learning, university officials wrote in a statement.

Odei, a Stanford University student, was selected for her aspiration to combine engineering and business to become an “engi-preneur.”

Handley, a student at the University at California at Los Angeles, was chosen for his remarkable drive and focus and his notable entrepreneurial background which includes fundraising and building a school in Kenya, university officials wrote in a statement.

At the end of the immersive program, Draper University students will participate in a business pitch competition to a panel of venture capitalists, where students have the opportunity to obtain funding for their business.

“I am thrilled to welcome an exceptionally strong class to Draper University this summer. We have superstars here, these are the best and the brightest from the best schools in the world,” university founder Tim Draper wrote in a statement.

Draper is the venture capitalist who first funded Hotmail, Skype and Tesla Motors.

Some of the university’s new students includes a YouTube maverick, a cancer survivor, Ph.D.s, startup founders, an NFL cheerleader, a top snowboarder, a Division I lacrosse player and a kung fu expert, according to a press statement. Countries represented by the summer class include China, Columbia, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, India, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Sweden, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. The class also shows a growth in female attendance with 31 percent, according to the university.